


Hunger

by coveredkoi (serenamaes)



Category: Peacemaker Kurogane
Genre: Alternate Universe - Yakuza, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Shinsengumi - Freeform, modernau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-21 23:53:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11955348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenamaes/pseuds/coveredkoi
Summary: Souji deals with some demons from his past, and desperately wants to spend time with his lover, Hijikata-san, who seems to be the only one who can keep the inner voices quiet. However, when Hijikata leaves for a work meeting, Souji not only finds himself battling his anxiety, but some rough thugs from an opposing Yakuza family.





	Hunger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Matsuoasuka](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Matsuoasuka).



> I want to be VERY explicit that this is NOT Hijikata raping Souji, as I wholly believe he would never do that to his young lover. This idea spawned from a role play idea Matsuoasuka and I discussed, which grew when I heard "Hunger" by Of Monsters and Men.

“Ne, Hijikata-san,” that hot and heavy whisper against his skin. “Do you really have to go?” 

It was painful to end such a delicious kiss, but the man stopped and looked into his lover’s eyes. There was a hint of sadness in those violet-grey irises, and a small frown spread across Hijikata’s lips. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

“That’s what you said the last time,” Souji pressed his body against him a little harder, his breath still shaky from the activity before. “You just got back from Tokyo, after all . . .” The boy looked down at his lover’s chest, as if locating his heartbeat would make another goodbye a little easier. 

Hijikata forced a small smile and placed a soft kiss on the top of Souji’s head. “I promise. I just have to attend this meeting with Kondo, and I’ll be back before dinner.”

Souji smiled softly and nodded, digging his nails into the fabric covering that beautiful chest, though he knew he would fight the emotions stirring within him as soon as his lover stepped outside. 

The door closed and his apartment felt more empty than it had when he first moved in. Though he had lived there for a few months, the walls were still relatively bare. No matter what pictures or decorations he used to make the space his own, the apartment felt hollow and blank. It was a box, not a home. 

A cage. 

Souji sighed and ran his hands through his hair, making his way slowly toward the small sofa in the middle of the room. The air still carried the faint scent of tobacco and smoke that followed his lover on his way back from the balcony. He sat on the couch and pulled his knees to his chest. 

This time of year brought back horrible memories of abuse, and no matter where he was, he always felt a bit glum when the seasons changed, especially when the flowers started to bloom. It reminded him of stolen innocence and an unsteady foundation.

He tucked his head into the collar of the dress shirt and closed his eyes. It still smelled of Hijikata’s cigarettes and light sweat from the night before. He was thankful his lover had allowed him to borrow it; it may have been the only thing keeping him grounded. In fact, if it weren’t for Hijikata, he may never have started to turn his life around. He had started to think he would never have left Kondo’s house, much less be in a relationship with someone for over a year. 

He would have been alone, and felt a little less human.

Did he ever tell them man everything that happened? Probably not, but it was better not to think about it at all right now. He wanted to let that voice sleep for as long as his emotions would allow.

“Hijikata-san,” he sighed, allowing gravity to pull him toward the couch slowly. “Why can’t you stay here with me?”

. . .

It was dark outside when Souji woke, and the apartment was still empty. His eyebrows furrowed, and he took a deep breath. 

Where is he?

That sick voice was stirring, starting to bite at his thoughts, but he would not invoke it now. The notification light blinked on his cell phone, and as he looked at the screen, his stomach grew heavy. Reading the text made it worse.

Kondo was keeping everyone at the office that night. Hijikata would not be back until morning. Something about the Yoshida negotiations was taking longer than they had planned. Hijikata would make up for it in the morning. 

And it was awake. He threw his phone at the wall and made his way to the kitchen for a drink. He was being selfish, he knew, but that did not make him feel better. “Why tell me you’ll come home when you won’t be coming at all?” 

As he lifted a small glass from the cabinet, the doorbell rang, and Souji set the glass down to rest near the cognac. It wasn’t like his lover to ring his doorbell, and it was a bit late for someone to be stopping by unannounced. He made his way to the door carefully, but was too slow to realize that he never took the time to lock it behind his lover in the morning. 

The thought crossed his mind too late, and the door swung open in a hurry.

. . . 

“Kondo-san,” Souji mused, looking over at the older man. “Did you ever think about setting Hijikata-san and I up on a date?” He took his ice-cream from the vendor, and Kondo nearly choked on his soft serve. “I mean, you’ve known him so long.”

“Souji,” he coughed, “You know talking about this makes me incredibly uncomfortable. Can’t we talk about something else?”

“Sorry,” Souji smiled softly. “I’m just curious. After all of these years, surely the thought crossed your mind at one point or another?” 

“Well,” the older man sighed as they made their way to a park bench. “Honestly, I never took the time to even consider that Toshi was well,” he shivered slightly. “And he’s so much older than you, and . . .” Goosebumps trickled over his skin. “You know. I really don’t want to talk about this. We can talk about anything else. I mean anything, really!” 

The boy laughed. “Well, even if it wasn’t you,” Souji smiled, watching as Hijikata reluctantly stepped in to teach Tetsu and Saya how to properly hit a baseball – the man’s impatience getting the best of him. “I’m glad that we found one another.” 

No matter how uncomfortable he was, a small portion of Kondo agreed, though he would never say it aloud to Souji. 

. . . 

“Souji, I know that I have been rather protective of you,” Kondo began, changing out of his gi. “But I think you are more capable of protecting yourself than you know.” 

Souji could remember the scream, the crimson, and the feel of a knife in his small hand. “Kondo-san,” he said softly, that firm decisiveness taking hold of his voice. “If you are referring to when you first took me in . . .” 

“It’s not that at all, Souji.” The man’s voice commanded the teen’s attention. “I’m talking about my business.” He paused to wipe his face with a towel. “I think it’s about time you joined in.”

Souji looked confused for a moment. He knew Kondo was more than just a typical businessman. He had observed the late-night meetings, occasional fights, and seen the same faces move in and out of the area all of his life. The man was referring to the yakuza lifestyle, and if he were being honest with himself, he was not sure that was a lifestyle he wanted for himself.

“I know that you have had well,” Kondo sighed, pulling on his shirt. “A pretty rough childhood, to put it bluntly. The last thing I want to do is put you in a position where you feel that you are in danger, unfortunately, just being a part of my household puts you at certain risk. More than your temper, I want you to learn to fight for that reason – to stay alive.” 

Souji realized then that his life would change, and accepted Kondo’s guidance as the man took him under his wing.

“You are like a son to me, Souji, and I will do what I can to keep you safe. You have my word.”  
. . .

“Such a pretty face. It’s a shame it’ll be a little broken once we’re done with it, don’t you think?” 

They pinned the boy against the wall, holding him by the throat as they considered the various ways to tear him apart. 

“Yeah, Ryoma wasn’t kidding. I thought he was lying all this time.” He leaned a bit closer to survey Souji’s features. “But I bet that mouth is just as good as he said it is.”

“Should we put it to use?” 

His years of training betrayed him today. Instead, that voice and his own insecurities had left him open to the advances of the strangers in his apartment. The hand on his thigh felt cold and dirty as it traveled upward, moving below the hem of his shirt. 

It’s going to happen all over again.

He tried to escape the hold on his neck and ignore the fear that started to take over his thoughts. His body felt increasingly heavy, and it was getting more difficult to focus and breathe.

“Looks like he may have had some fun recently. Is that a hickey?” A new set of eyes undressing him, spotting the mark Hijikata had left the day before. Another hand felt for the first few buttons, ripping them open. “Perhaps from another boyfriend? We’ve got ourselves a slut!” 

A boyfriend. A lover. The demon. He could see those shoulders turned away from him, moving toward the door. 

Hijikata-san. 

It was enough to bring back that fighting spirit and Souji moved. He slapped away the hands at his shirt, and dug his nails in to the face of the man holding him to the wall. He took the stranger’s yelp as opportunity to kick him away, breaking free of the hold on his throat. 

“Sunnova bitch!” The largest man growled, holding his hand to his face. “Ryoma never mentioned that!” 

Souji took the chance to catch his breath, surveying the options before him. Both the front door and the door to the balcony were blocked by much larger men, who were obviously tasked with the job of ensuring there was no way out. Three of the other men were muscular with a Judo-like build. It would not be difficult to fight them one on one, though if the three chose to move at him in unison . . . He shook the thought from his head, but his breath nearly went away as he eyed the fourth man. He stood at the far wall holding a camera. 

It’s all being filmed?

His eyes widened, and his body automatically shifted to stance. 

. . . 

Hijikata looked at his watch and light his fifth cigarette. He would have to buy another pack before too long. Souji would be furious with him for being gone so long, and he couldn’t even leave the room with the visitors here, even if it was just to check on the boy.

“With all due respect, I think you are being a bit unreasonable. If we pull out of the San-cho area, you will have over half of the city.” 

“Yes, but you forget, Kondo” their guest reached for his sake glass, and his apprentice, a younger boy with silver hair, eagerly filled the empty cup. “You already hold the key portions of the city.” He took a sip of the rice wine before continuing. “I think you can sacrifice the San-cho area to keep the harmony in our relationship.” 

Groaning, Kondo closed his eyes and sighed. “I get what you’re saying, but I feel like you’re gaining an unfair advantage if you have all of the central areas in your grasp.” 

Hijikata eyed the boy before him. “I’ve got a question,” he looked over at Yoshida. “Why is this meeting going over?” 

“Toshi!” Kondo urged him quietly, “That’s no kind of question for our guests.” 

“Let him continue.” Yoshida mused, returning that gaze. 

“We’ve covered much more serious matters than territory, and you’ve always managed to leave early.” Another drag on the cigarette. “So why go over now?”

A gasp and a groan as his body was pinned to floor. Fighting for air as that red light focused on the frenzy and those blood-stained fingertips.

“If I didn’t know anything, I would think you were up to something?” He exhaled and the smoke worked its way to the ceiling. 

“I think this is a pretty serious matter, don’t you, Suzu?” The boy nodded and refilled the man’s glass once more, closing his eyes as he set the sake mug down. 

Hijikata’s eyebrow furrowed. This only amplified the sensation building at the pit of his stomach. “Tell me what you’re up to.” 

“I am concerned about the central trade within my business.” 

Kondo loosened his tie and reached for his beer. Though Hijikata could feel that the man’s concern was building as well. The tension in the room was too heavy for a normal meeting, and a sick aura of pride lingered around the two men before them. 

“I’m sure Kondo would be a little less forgiving if he finds that you have set fire to one of his apartment complexes again.” Hijikata smirked, hoping that he would find the answer. “You know how well that worked in your favor the last time.” 

Little did he know Yoshida was rather excited to give him the one he did not want to hear. “I think you might be surprised to find it’s not Kondo who has to worry.” He closed his eyes and took a sip of the sake before continuing. “Rather than arson, I thought I might be willing to try something more entertaining.” 

At that, both Hijikata and Kondo both sat up straight. “You thought you might try what exactly?” Kondo attempted to remain civil, though Hijikata struggled to maintain the amount of anger building in his body. 

“How is your son doing?” Yoshida grinned. 

Kondo’s eyes widened, and Hijikata stood.

“Excuse me,” he growled and moved to the door, letting the door slam behind him. 

For the first time, Kondo would not object to such behavior in front of a visitor. He stood as well. “I think this evening has come to an end Toshimaro.” He narrowed his eyes and looked at the man. “If anything happened to any of my family members,” he grabbed his jacket, “It’ll be war.” 

. . . 

Hijikata arrived too late. A few members of the police had arrived, including Saito Hajime, one of Kondo’s close friends and allies. The man stood outside of the apartment with two members of the Trio, Sano and Shinpachi. Both men looked more somber than normal, though Sano’s shoulders were tight with tension. 

“Where is he?” Hijikata ran to them, looking at Sano first. “Where’s Souji?” 

Saito looked at both men, “Toshi,” he began, calmly despite the chaotic whisperings around them. “I think you may want to sit down before we tell you.” 

Hijikata’s eyes widened, but the rage took over. Narrowing them, he grabbed the collar of Saito’s shirt, and pulled the man close. “You tell me where he is, right now.” 

Inside the apartment, he could see medics treating two men with broken elbows and knees, while another man stared toward the door, bleeding from the face in a shocked daze. All men had handcuffs, and blood stained the wooden floor. 

“Tell me!”

So he did. And for the first time that he could remember, Hijikata truly felt fear take hold of his body.

. . . 

“We’ll need to take a few more samples, Okita-san,” the nurse spoke quietly. An older woman with a plump build. Her hands were gentle, though cold, as she swabbed the bite marks on his thighs. 

Souji nodded, his lips in a firm line across his face. His left eye ached from the punches, and a bruise began to form. He could still taste the blood on his bottom lip, busted from the abuse, but none of that mattered. He was alive, and all but one of the men who did this to him had come away with worse injuries. 

“Wow,” the nurse’s eyes widened as she carefully swabbed beneath Souji’s nails. “Perhaps this is not the right place to say,” She began, “But I really hope I do not have to treat the man’s face who did this to you.” 

That voice was still there, proud of the damage, and Souji smiled softly. “I hope you’re right.” He forced a quiet laugh, though his lung still ached. “He looked terrible.” 

The nurse stifled a giggle. “I hope they pay for what they did to you.” 

Souji looked down at the hospital gown for a moment. “They will. Dearly.” 

The nurse spoke to the doctor as he entered the room, listing off the abuse. Anal penetration, bites on his thighs, a dislocated shoulder, multiple bruises, and a few bruised ribs. 

But he was alive, and it could have been so much worse. He could see the knives he fought away and used against them, and he could still taste the blood as a man was foolish enough to try and test his mouth. 

“Idiots.” He muttered, as the nurse and doctor left the room, leaving him in silence. 

The nurse returned a few moments later, and assisted Souji into a wheelchair, moving him to a private room. “There is someone here who want to see you,” she whispered quietly, helping him into a bed. “A Hijikata Toshi-”

Souji’s eyes widened, and he looked the nurse in the eyes for perhaps the first time the entire evening. How could he face the man in this state? “Please don’t-”

“Sir! You can’t go in there! Sir!” A nurse called down the hallway. 

The door opened, and Hijikata stood in the doorway, looking at his lover. 

A smile twitched over Souji’s lips, though it stung. “Hijikata-san.” 

The nurse looked between the two, and understood. She gently slid out of the room, and closed the door behind her. 

“Souji.” Hijikata began, but he could not find the words to speak. Worry. Anger. Minute relief. All of the emotions mingled in his bloodstream, and he covered his lips with his hand. 

“Hijikata-san,” Souji tried to speak, but the tears found their way to his eyes instead. He managed to keep them in throughout the evening. But he could no longer keep up that protective face. That voice quietened, and he blinked them away. “I’m so glad you’re here.” 

Hijikata moved to his lover, and took the broken boy in a careful embrace. “Souji, I was so worried.” 

Souji choked back the tears, but he felt safe for the first time tonight. “Stay with me.” 

The man nodded, and held the boy a little tighter, stroking his hair as he cried. “Souji, they won’t get away with this.” His anger was overflowing. “They’re going to pay dearly for what they did to you.” He couldn’t think about it. It made him want to rip the limbs from their body. Slowly. Nerve by nerve. And drag out the pain. 

. . . 

Kondo crossed his arms as he sat back down in a chair in the waiting room. “They said Souji doesn’t want to see us right now.” He groaned. “I guess Toshi will have to take care of him for us for a while.” 

Sano growled and cracked his knuckles. “So when do we get to go after these guys?” 

“Yeah,” Heisuke asked, returning from the men’s room. The doctors were kind enough to give him a pair of scrubs in exchange for testing his clothing. 

Heisuke had been the first one to arrive at Souji’s apartment after a tip from Yamazaki, who overheard Suzu whisper something to Yoshida on the way to the restroom. 

Heisuke remembered the heavy atmosphere hanging over the apartment as he opened the door. Souji sat in the middle of the floor holding his right arm, his shirt unbuttoned. He stared blankly at the man before him, bleeding profusely from the cuts on his face. A camera sat blinking, with the tape ejected from the device. 

“He got away, Heisuke.” Souji spoke quietly, staring at the camera. “He got away.”

Heisuke immediately helped Souji to the hospital in his taxi, and made some rushed calls to his friends to survey the area and ensure the other men stayed where they lie. It still made him nauseous. 

“Souji tore up quite a few of them,” Heisuke sighed, cracking the tab on his green tea. “But he kept saying something about a guy with a camera. If I were to be honest,” he sighed. “I think only one guy managed to get to him. There was no way the other guys could have kept going.” After a moment of silence, he continued. “I think he might have gotten it on tape.” 

Kondo’s jaw tightened, and he closed his eyes. 

“What kind of sickos want to watch that kind of thing?” Shinpachi spoke over a can of soda. “What they did was horrible.” 

“What kind of person even wants to do that kind of thing?” Sano asked. “I don’t know if it’s true for everyone else, but I like a little friendly interaction when it comes to sex, you know.” 

Shinpachi looked toward the floor. “And Souji’s already been through this, right?” 

“It wasn’t exactly the same,” Kondo sighed, opening his eyes. “But his uncle was one of those sick bastards as well.” 

The room got quiet and heavy. Sano watched as a nurse made her way toward Souji’s room with the doctor. “I hope he’ll be okay.” 

“He’s tougher than he looks,” Shinpachi smiled softly. “Besides, he probably knows that Hijikata is going to kill whoever did this.” 

“Ain’t that the truth?” The others agreed in unison. 

“I’m surprised that the bastard hasn’t already done it, to be honest.” Shinpachi laughed. 

“Don’t underestimate Toshi,” Kondo said. “If anything, he knows that Yoshida is just getting started.” 

“What can he do that’s worse than this?” Heisuke asked. “I thought it was bad when he attempted to burn down the apartment, but this is just plain evil.” 

“Whatever he thinks is next,” Hijikata growled, taking the soda from Shinpachi. “Is nothing compared with what I’m going to do to him.” 

“Hijikata-san,” Heisuke blinked. “Back so soon?” 

“They won’t let me stay in the room when they interview Souji.” He growled. “And that nurse is a little spitfire.” 

Shinpachi flinched as Hijikata crumpled the soda can beside his ear, and Kondo looked up to meet Hijikata’s gaze. The demonic fire had returned. 

“How do you feel about all of this, Toshi?” 

“This is war.”


End file.
